“Greengage” is our 14th serial electric narrowboat, built on a 46’ long Tim Tyler Shell with a semi-cruiser stern style. Green by name and green by nature, the boat has several new features which we haven’t used before.
As with all of our new boats, there is no gas on board. Unusually, the owners didn’t want a diesel fired heating system or any form of stove, but instead opted for Herschel infra-red panel heaters to heat the boat purely on electric. There are 2 x 300W panels mounted in the ceiling in the main cabin, plus one in the bedroom. If you haven’t experienced this type of heating before, it is amazing! It feels much like being bathed in warm sunlight as it heats objects and people rather than the air. There is a 400W mirror panel in the bathroom which is incredibly efficient at keeping the bathroom lovely and warm and drying towels. We certainly hope to use these again on future boats (https://www.herschel-infrared.co.uk/).
Another unusual departure from our norm is that the owners chose to go for three 585W bi-facial rigid solar panels as they want to maximise the amount of solar generated throughout the winter months. The stainless steel rod tilting mechanism (as supplied by https://theboatbattery.co.uk/tilted-solar/ ) provides an easy method of tilting the panels. We saw some incredible daily solar generation figures while the boat was outside our unit in February and early March, with Greengage topping our daily solar chart most days, despite having only 1.76kW of solar compared with 2.8kW of flexible panels on some of our other recent boats.
The all-electric propulsion is in line with our other recent builds, using a powerful Engiro brushless motor (with 18kW peak), a Fischer Panda PVMV-N 8000x (keel cooled) generator and a large 800Ahr LiFePO4 battery bank. The waste heat from the generator heats the hot water, in addition to the electric element built into the calorifier, which is also used for solar dumping. There is a large Victron Quattro 8kVA inverter providing plenty of AC power, plus our Ortomate comprehensive control and monitoring system – which enhances every boat we build.
Having had a narrowboat previously, Andrew and Alison knew exactly what features they wanted on board to make their boat as homely as possible.
The galley features a multizone induction hob, a microwave and an undercounter larder fridge and includes plenty of storage. There is no built in oven, but space in the cupboard for the customers’ own multi-function air fryer.
One other requirement high on their list was to provide space for Andrew’s favourite arm chair and their own oak drop-leaf table. Also in the main living area, there is a comfortable L-shaped sofa/dinette, but rather than using the normal desmo-style legs for converting the dinette into a bed, we provided 2 small square boxes which fit inside the dinette for storage and can also be used as 2 x stools for extra seating at the dinette when entertaining guests.
Andrew and Alison have a fondness for reclaimed oak, so we incorporated this where possible. One of our favourite touches is the charming reclaimed oak ‘duck door’ installed between the saloon and the bathroom corridor!
Greengage has an off-corridor bathroom, ensuring smooth movement throughout the boat. The 800 x 700mm shower is highlighted by a vibrant orange wall panel, bringing a pop of colour from the outside in. Additionally, there’s a Compoost Deluxe composting toilet and plenty of storage space for a small area.
The bedroom features a full-size 4’6″ double bed with a gas-strut side lift and a padded headboard. More reclaimed oak accents can be found in the bedroom, including the door, over-bed cupboard, and wardrobe doors.
As with all of our new boats, the fuel tank was filled with HVO at launch, which contributes to our boats starting out as environmentally friendly as possible – we are hoping that HVO will become more widely available on the canal network in time
